In various business applications, human users ("users") are required to process a particular combination of information that corresponds to specific applicable parameters. For example, in manufacturing or servicing a complex product (e.g., a computer or computer board), the product must be assembled, tested, or repaired according to a "parameter-specific" procedure. For example, a computer may be assembled differently depending upon its configuration parameters, such as the operating system to be loaded, the amount of memory to be installed, and whether it is to include a modem. Because there are many possible parameter combinations, numerous parameter-specific procedures must be made available for users who are to perform these procedures.
One solution is to archive and make available to users separate parameter-specific procedure files for each possible parameter combination. These files can be implemented either in the form of digital files--stored, perhaps, in a server database--or in the form of physical documents. Although this approach is effective from the standpoint of a user's ability to perform a procedure, it is not efficient because of the excessive associated materials, space, and time required to generate and maintain such files. Also, there is a great deal of redundancy in this file collection, because many procedures will involve the same or similar steps.
A different approach is to combine all of the possible information for each procedure type into a comprehensive procedure manual (e.g., assembly manual), containing instructions for all products or product sub-assemblies. Conditional expressions can then be used to indicate whether or not an instruction (or instruction sequence) is to be performed based on the applicable parameters. For example, an instruction within a comprehensive procedure may appear as follows: "If Novell OS then Insert Flash disk B.94". This approach reduces the overall documentation, because instructions common to many different parameter-specific procedures need not be repeated for every single optional path in a given procedure. On the other hand, a major drawback to this approach is that human users are required to determine whether or not each conditional instruction within a given procedure containing several optional paths is to be performed. Additional time is required for the user to perform a particular procedure, because the user must continuously compare the parameters defining the particular procedure with the many possible parameters contained within the conditional expressions. Not only is this approach inefficient, but it also increases the likelihood that human error will occur.
Accordingly, what is needed is an efficient solution for maintaining and providing to a user parameter-specific information. In particular, what is needed is an effective method for providing to users the details of parameter-specific procedures.